Hardware

Chrome OS is a Linux-based operating system built by Google for use on a class of laptops labelled Chromebooks, in an attempt to break the hegemony of Windows and Apple. It is essentially an entire working environment set in the popular Google Chrome web-browser instead of a conventional desktop. It requires a mandatory web connection … Continue reading →

Much as I evangelise about Ubuntu, Linux and the Open Source ethos, help out with testing on Ubuntu Quality team from time to time and report bugs whenever I can, a ‘bad Ubuntu day’ only serves to remind me that as a product, it is simply not ready for mass-market, main-stream adoption. It needs a … Continue reading →

Now that we’ve proved that the Freecom still works, but Xine and Gxine don’t, we need a more modern media player on which to watch TV. Kaffeine is always a top recommendation, but I don’t want a stack of KDE software libraries cluttering up the machine. VLC is my favourite player because it does so … Continue reading →

At risk of going up a particularly geeky, Open Source software blind alley, I’m going to prove why certain technology isn’t exactly consumer-friendly. You may have seen our previous articles on using the Freecom DVB-T (freeview) USB2 stick on Linux. I was going to try some different media players on my newly resurrected TV tuner … Continue reading →

The old Dell 6400 finally showed its age when I tried to play a full HD, .mp4 movie; 29 minutes in, my five year old workhorse gave up. Time for a desktop replacement. I ruled out another Dell, Toshiba and Compaq/HP. Having been recommended Lenovo as solidly built workhorse machines earlier in the year I … Continue reading →

David Wilkins is a blogger and podcaster now writing on technology and politics (see those two together often?) and sometime writer for Full Circle magazine. This article first appeared in August 2012. Please note that, at the time of writing, I am fortunate enough to own a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, one of very few devices … Continue reading →

My Android phone developed a fault, so I borrowed a Nokia Lumia phone over the weekend. This is a Windows Phone (trademark, copyright, patented to the eyeballs, Microsoft 2010). As we all know, Windows Phone is NOT Windows Mobile 5, 6 or 7, or Windows CE, which were mostly taken up by corporate customers and … Continue reading →

“I need help, my heart pacemaker is cutting out!” “Certainly sir, have you tried turning it off and then on again?” “What?!?!?” “Sorry sir, old habit, I used to work Technical Support at an Internet Provider.” ISP”s have a habit of re-routing, throttling, taking servers down for maintenance and otherwise messing with your Internet connection, … Continue reading →

You have to acknowledge that set up and maintenance of your home network is much easier with Windows utilities than ever it was. Network and Sharing Center is a suite of tools that help the network novice with a graphical interface. But still you may hit issues that Windows network GUI tools don’t touch. For … Continue reading →

You might want to look at the previous trouble-shooting articles part 1 and part 2 if you’re wanting to, er, shoot trouble with an Internet connection. This is a similar round-up in one hit since I’ve had this conversation several times since and these are all money-free steps you can take. If your mega-fast broadband … Continue reading →

MakeUseOf Guide – Buying Laptop Computers 2012 By Matt Smith, http://smidgenpc.com/ Edited by Justin Pot I was going to write the second part of the article started last month when I discovered the folks at technology site MakeUseOf.com had done the job I was going to do: “This 2012 update is debuting half-way through the … Continue reading →